This is a developing story and will be updated.
There is a large law enforcement presence this morning at the Buncombe County Health and Human Services building at 40 Coxe Ave in downtown Asheville.
"It was a false alarm," Ryan Cole of Emergency Staff Services told BPR around 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Cole explained that a panic button may have been hit triggering the building evacuation. There has been a clean sweep of the building and dogs are currently going through the building.
An emergency alert was triggered this morning at the building, according to a statement from county officials.
"Law enforcement is on scene and is clearing the building," the statement said. "There is no evidence of an active assailant at this time."
Staff and visitors from the building were relocated to the post office across the street.
BPR is on the ground at the post office. About 40 people are inside the post office, everyone inside seems to be Buncombe County employees.
Law enforcement officials told those inside that it was safe to leave but a few minutes later they reversed that decision and asked everyone to go back inside the post office.
The energy in office is light and the post office is closed. Cole confirmed that staff unable to go back into their offices yet and are staying in the post office to keep warm.
In the afternoon, Buncombe County confirmed that the building was cleared by law enforcement. The Health and Human Services building will be closed to in-person services for the rest of the day. Clients can access services online at epass.nc.gov or by calling 828-250-5500.
